Designing corporate identities was a major part of Loewy’s practice. His modern and elegant design for the livery of JFK’s Air Force One transformed this particular Boeing 707 into an important element of the Kennedy administration's global brand. According to Loewy, Kennedy chose a red-and-gold design from the initial concept sketches presented to him at the White House but asked for it to be rendered in blue, which he said was his favorite color (and also that of the Democrats). Loewy recalled that Kennedy also chose the Caslon typeface—which resembles the one used in the heading of the Declaration of Independence—for the legend "United States of America." The new Air Force One entered service in fall 1962.

Gallery label from

2016.

Medium Gouache, colored pencil, graphite on paper
Dimensions Approx: 10 1/2 × 22" (26.7 × 55.9 cm)
Credit Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
Object number 1073.2015
Department Architecture & Design

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Raymond Loewy

Raymond Loewy

American, born Paris, 1893–1986 2 works online

In a 1958 collection of celebrity recipes, Raymond Loewy was described as “perhaps the world's most renowned designer… Mr. Loewy spends six months yearly in New York designing everything from airplanes to household appliances.

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